


A Very, Vogue Idea

by the_winterfloof_17



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, Awesome Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Clint Barton is annoying, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Fluff and Crack, James "Bucky" Barnes is hot, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Photographer Bucky Barnes, References to Sex and the City (TV), Sex and the City AU, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark is broke sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26117752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_winterfloof_17/pseuds/the_winterfloof_17
Summary: That story where it’s an AU of Sex and the City, Toni lives in a somewhat decent studio apartment on Madison and 34th St, in the Upper East Side. She’s always broke because she loves buying designer clothes and buying expensive shoes and other things.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	A Very, Vogue Idea

**Author's Note:**

> This whole story is inspired by Sex and the City and there may be a few references from it along with a few songs. Recently was binge watching the show and I got this idea so enjoy.
> 
> Since the main character of Sex and the City was known for her fashion sense in designer wear and loved shoes, specifically Manolo Blahniks. I've tried incorporating that into the story so sorry if my descriptions of some of the outfits aren't entirely the best. Just want the outfits to be appreciated because the outfits called me broke in so many ways.
> 
> Also, there are some references from certain episodes so if you don't get it, that's fine...

Toni groaned, waking up with a pounding headache and still wearing a new Givenchy beige skirt and that really, realy, super nice, blue tie and dior collared shirt. To pair it off with really cute Givenchy black pumps in satin. Great outfit, wrong guy she almost took home. “Thank god!” Instantly regretting saying that, Toni groaned, sitting up and internally crying over the now wrinkled shirt she had on. “At least I didn’t throw up on this beautiful shirt!” Her phone rang loudly as she got up, tossing the wrinkled shirt on her bed as she got the phone. 

“Ugh, what is it?”

“Hey Toni! So Nat and I are heading to that cafe, the one near Times Square, wanna join?” 

“Clint, can you be quiet for like two seconds, I am hungover.”

“Do you even remember what happened last night?” Toni rolled her eyes, slightly squinting when the pain increased, “listen, whatever happened, I’m so glad I didn’t bring anyone home.”

“You almost did! So, cafe?” 

“Yes, please, order me a mimosa and some eggs, please.”

“Kk, see ya later.” Clint’s voice going high pitched before hanging up, Toni rolled her eyes one more time before walking to her closet. She may be broke, well ok, not entirely, but she could at least afford a nice walk-in closet. Mind you, the walk-in closet consisted of very nice Jimmy Choos, Dior, Givenchy, anything designer because Toni loved it. So maybe she did tend to become broke because of it, but a little shoe shopping and clothing shopping wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? Although, a lot of people tended to tell her she definitely had a problem and that someone should really take her credit/debit cards away soon. 

Nat, of course, understood, the only one really, and always supported Toni with the shopping. They always ended up dragging Clint or Rhodey along too, though they complained the entire time. When Clint asked her if she remembered what happened last night, it was a vague, very vague idea. All she could remember was Nat came over, said ‘hey, let’s go out,’ and then they went to that bar, called, oof… Denial? Who names a bar Denial? Only in New York, or specifically Manhattan would they do that. 

Toni decided that she would listen to the many various voicemails she tended to get from all those crazy exes that she has regrettably dated. She wouldn’t be surprised if most of the voicemails were from Tiberius Stone or that one regrettable night with Sunset Bain, if Toni could remember. Hearing them being played while Toni got dressed was like part of her morning routine. Toni wasn’t exactly proud to say that she would listen to them even if someone was over, and yes she knew it was unhealthy to not let go of the past or past exes. But she was Toni, Toni Stark, Toni who is a shopaholic and broke sometimes and drinks a little too much. Her parents are still waiting for that moment she says, ‘Mom, Dad, this is the person I want to marry and settle down with!’

Yeah no, Toni was 30 years old, she had time, and who cares if she got married at thirty-five? Definitely not her! Today’s outfit consisted of mid-calf black leggings, a blue and black tie dye tulle shirt from Dior, a La Perla black lace bra, and Manolo Blahniks, lace pumps to match the whole outfit. Top it all off, because she’s Toni, she wore those big square black sunglasses with the gold on the sides from Givenchy. _Make everyone feel broke and maybe you can feel like a queen._

She turned off the voicemail system, and walked out the door, a cigarette in her mouth and an old Kate Spade wallet in hand. Toni walked down the street, hearing some catcalls along the way before finally meeting at the adorable cute cafe Nat loved and dragged them to all the time. Toni opened the door, seeing Clint wave like a goddamn child while Natasha just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Toni chuckled as she walked to their table, hugging Nat and playfully patting Clint on the head. 

“I took the courtesy of ordering coffee for you and eggs benedict! Oh, also a mimosa, too.” Toni smiled gratefully while stealing a fry from Clint’s plate. “Oh, also, uh I invited some friends too. My friend Steve, he’s bringing his friend over.” 

“Ugh, Natasha! What happened to our motto? ‘Men are bullshit’? Sorry, did you forget, or did that new student chef in the Village change you for good?” Toni teased, drinking a little bit of her mimosa and coffee together. 

“For the record, I thought he was really cute, Clint agreed, and so did Sam!” Nat stuck her tongue out at Toni who did the same in return. “Ya know, you guys call me a child, but what about what’s happening right now?”

“Shut it, Clint. You are a child, plus a drama queen.” Clint squawked at that, poking Toni in the side with his fork, “uh, I thought you were the drama queen.”

“First off, no, second that’s a hobby, not an actual thing, my hobby is usually to judge people. Don’t act like your innocent either, there! You enjoy that hobby as much as I do.” After that, there was a friendly silence between the three while they waited for those supposed friends and more food. There was an old Elvis Presley song playing as Nat scrolled through her phone, Clint playing on his, and Toni was doodling out ideas for her engineering job. Recently, she was on a binge of creating an A.I with a personality and was planning on making it smarter than your average joe. Howard, having him wrapped around her manicured finger, was on board with it, already tossing money at her, kissing her on the head and saying you go babygirl! 

She was still wearing the sunglasses when two incredibly tall and buff guys walked in. One was blonde and one was brunette, and damn, if Toni’s heart didn’t almost do a flip seeing the brunette. His hair was perfect, like it looked incredibly fluffy, Toni itched to run her fingers through it. _Ah Toni, no! Men are bullshit!_ Nat waved her hand over, and well, Toni silently thanked God herself for blessing her shitty day with these two men, or one man in particular. 

“Hey guys! This Toni and Clint, Toni, Clint, this Steve Rogers and James Barnes. Or Bucky, even though I hate that name.” The hot brunette, _Bucky_ , just rolled his eyes at the comment while sitting down next to Perfect Blondie, now known as Steve. After the introductions came, Toni’s food finally made an appearance for her, for which Toni was grateful. She didn’t know how much longer she could ignore the fact that Nat’s friends were both hot. For once, Toni actually forgot she had a headache until a baby started screaming near their table while she was eating her eggs benedict. 

“God, I hate kids.” She groaned clutching her head and her poor ears as she waited out the screaming until it was over. Natasha and Clint both just rolled their eyes while Bucky looked at her curiously and Steve just read the newspaper. Who reads the actual newspaper anymore? _Only old people_. “So glad I’m not the only one.” Toni arched her eyebrow, slightly smirking at Bucky when he said it, well, now she knew all about it. She saw Natasha wave her hand again and turned to see who it was this time, surprised to see Sam and Rhodey coming over. 

“Platypus, what are you doing here?”

“Uh, it’s saturday? Remember we all come to this thing?” Rhodey folded his arms over his chest, slightly glaring at Toni, “did you forget again?” 

“I have a hangover, so shoot me.” 

“Is that why you're wearing your favorite Givenchy glasses today to block everyone out?”

“Excuse you, I have every right to wear these.” Toni got up, pouting at Rhodey before he rolled his eyes and brought her into a hug. “You going shoppin’ later?”

“Yes, sir! That’s like my cardio for today.” Sam laughed at her, while Toni quickly drank the rest of her mimosa and then her coffee in one go. “Ya know, that’s not entirely healthy, Tones.” Sam gestured to the empty mimosa glass and the coffee cup that Toni just finished, “shush, I’m a workaholic, this is what I do to get through the day.” That got a few laughs out the table as she stood up, trying not to blush over Bucky staring at her like a predator stalking its prey. “I’m leaving now, so if anyone wants to come with me, they can.” She blew a kiss to them all, before strutting outside to the blinding sun, thankful that she never took her sunglasses off. 

Today’s new season of strappy heels at Dolce & Gabbana were being released so she started walking in that direction. She was standing at the side of the pavement, waiting for the walking sign to go on when she heard a voice, “hey! Wait up, doll.” Smiling, Toni turned around to see Bucky jogging up next to her, “got bored with those others back there?” 

“No, Natasha just said she needed someone to keep you on a leash from buying the whole store out.”  
“Oh my god that was one time! I didn’t mean for it to happen!” Toni shrieked, internally cursing Natasha and her evil ways. 

“So, where ya headin’, dollface?” Bucky pushes her slightly forward, making her walk across the street. “I’m heading over to Dolce & Gabbana, darlin’. They have new shoes.” They ended up walking a few more blocks before coming to stop in front of the massive Dolce & Gabbana store. Without even realizing it, she grabbed Bucky’s hand and dragged him inside, the smell of fresh leather and expensive perfumes and champagne filling her nose. Still holding his hand, she dragged Bucky with her to the shoe section of the designer store. Toni instantly found a pair of black leather strappy sandals with the logo of D & G as the heel, then proceeded to grab black leather booties as well. 

Someone came over and asked for her sizing before Toni continued to look for more strappy heels or any cute shoes in particular. She was so focused on the task at hand that she forgot Bucky was still here and staring at her with amusement. Toni ignored him and continued to look for more shoes to try, finding a pair of booties that were black and had stretchy tulle on them. She also found sandals with tulle as the straps and god, did Toni love every second of this. Call her crazy for loving this stuff but it made her just absolutely fabulous, she didn’t buy this stuff to show off she was rich, for god sake she usually couldn’t afford her rent, but because of the statement it always made. She wanted to make a statement, a statement that screamed ‘I am fabulous and pretty, I don’t need anything else to make me feel otherwise’. 

“Ya know Nat said you loved shoe shoppin’ but didn’t know ya loved it that much.” Bucky teased at her, holding out beautiful blue lace pumps with crystals on top. She smiled at him before snatching the shoe and adding it to her slowly growing pile of shoes next to her. “I think I love you already.” 

Two hours later, Toni ended up with three bags of shoes, and somehow a new pair of Christian Louboutin thigh high stilettos in tow. Bucky, ever the gentleman, insisted on helping her carry everything back to her apartment. Toni was happy that someone finally got the idea of helping her, because honestly, most of her friends enjoyed seeing her struggle to carry everything she bought by herself. She tended to drop a bag or two because her friends didn’t help at all. So the fact that Bucky is actually willing to help made her heart swoon even more than it already was.

They managed to finally get to her apartment, her feet protesting in the heels she so badly wanted to break in, and finally, got the key out and opened the door. They both whooped when the air conditioning blew them away and the smell of coffee and the mix of perfume came through. To Bucky, the smell smelled amazing just like the girl he had met a few hours earlier. He was loving the outfit that she was wearing, the beautiful tulle shirt she was wearing, showing off a black lace bra and beautiful calf muscles in those leggings. The heels were just a plus. Her hair was in a messy bun and there were pieces coming out, and when she finally took those big square glasses off, her eyes made him stop breathing. A whiskey brown color with specks of gold, he could honestly take a picture of it if he wanted to.

Toni directed Bucky into her walk-in closet as she pulled the boxes out and brought them into the closet. In there, Bucky was sitting on the cushion in the center, looking over the racks of clothes and shoes. “I understand why Nat wants someone to supervise you.”  
“They are all just evil sometimes. At least you helped me, usually they just laugh as I almost get run over on the street.” He laughed at the comment, taking the last of the shoe boxes out of the bags and stacking them up. Bucky watched as Toni took each pair of shoes out of the boxes, trying them on and admiring them in the mirror she had. Bucky laughed when Natasha had said Toni took shoe shopping very seriously along with clothing, there was a routine of making sure she didn’t 1, go completely broke, 2, buy the whole store, and 3, never ever let her go shopping after a break up. 

Natasha had been friends with Steve and Bucky for a very long time, ever since they met in the army. Natasha was a journalist working for Vogue while Steve was an instructor for the military now and Bucky… Bucky was a photographer, very popular in the photography industry. He usually took pictures for all the magazines, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, anything to do with fashion or travel. Natasha was trying to set Steve and Bucky up with her friends, which is how they both ended up having brunch with her and her friends. 

Toni stood out the most and they could both tell Natasha was proud to show her off, the girl was an engineer, she was a Stark, but yet she didn’t accept any of the money she was given. All of that money that she spent on shoes and clothes was her own money. One thing Bucky did notice was her legs were long, not freakishly long but model long. She was only 5’3 and adorable in Bucky’s opinion, and he admired the way her hair was piled high with just a pencil holding it together. He watched as she would take the shoes off and delicately put them on the many racks of shoes. 

He also watched as she finally sighed in relief when she took the shoes off, rolling her neck and taking out the pencil from her hair. That long neck of hers was tempting Bucky by the minute, and her wild black curly hair was going to drive him crazy. “Ugh, I’m so sorry that my place is a mess, I usually clean up for people but I was hungover this morning.” She blushed when she looked up to meet Bucky’s eyes. 

“So, what do you do for a living?” 

“I’m a photographer. I work for any magazine out there.” Toni looked up, wide eyes like a child that just saw her favorite candy store. “Oh my god! That’s fabulous!” She jumped up and down, grabbing Bucky’s hand again and dragging them out of the closet. She pushed him down onto a worn out leather couch and shoved a bunch of books into his lap. Reading them over, Bucky chuckled, noticing the pages she pointed out excitedly over the pictures of models. Most of the pictures were by him and Bucky was surprised by someone who didn’t even know him, be admiring his work so much. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m a really big fan of your work.”

“No, no, it’s ok. No one has usually ever really fangirled over those pictures in a long time.” Toni smiled at him genuinely and Bucky’s heart kind of flipped a little. She then restacked the books on her shelves, he noticed that most of them were from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. “So you like fashion?”

“If I wasn’t so short, I would love to become a model but I’m not.” 

“I think you look pretty good for not being a model.” Toni blushed at those words, oh god, she’s definitely falling. No, _men are bullshit, Toni_. Ugh, she needed some weed or something to stop this, it’s been too long since she’s been with a man, alone. Pray to God that she didn’t jump the man soon. After Bucky left, Toni felt lonely again and she always did, but this felt different. Bucky’s presence made her heart swoon with adoration, she wanted to pull him close and kiss him senseless. God, is this what it felt like finally falling in love with someone? Or was it just her heart acting up after not dating or really hanging around men for that long? Clint didn’t count, he was as gay as a queen and had a boyfriend, Phil, who was secretly a CIA agent or something. Natasha was dating Toni’s other best friend, Pepper at the moment, recently celebrating two years together. 

She could’ve sworn that his scent was still wafting in the air, his cologne still there and god, Toni wanted to smell it more often. Alright, that’s it, she must resist those primal urges ‘cause this was just weird. Toni decided after that to call Natasha while organizing her new shoes on the racks. “Ok, please don’t call me weird, but I wanna know more about Bucky.”

“Well, he’s a photographer, has done some work in different countries--”

“Oh god, I embarrassed myself when I made him look through all the photos in books that HE took!”

“Well, at least he knows someone likes his work.”

“Natasha, I did the fangirl thing and I--I think I like him.” There was a silence on the other line, and Toni was chewing her lip until there was the taste of blood. “Ok, here’s the plan, we’re going out tonight, your coming with us--”

“But--”

“No buts. Toni, for god sake, you aren’t over Tiberius yet! It’s been like a year!”

“Nat, I have my reasons for that, ok?! Trust me, I would move on already if I could.” Natasha huffed at that before hanging up, leaving Toni to her thinking. Since it was already the afternoon, close to the evening, Toni decided to just get ready now. She took a shower, enjoying some time to herself under the warm water. After that, she got out and dried her hair and started to put her makeup on. The look was simple, a sharp wing, some black pencil under the eye and some gold highlight at the corner of her eyes. She used gel to slick it back, straightening her wild, curly hair in the process. Toni looked at the dress she put out for tonight, excitement bubbling inside her. 

It was a black mini dress with straps crossing over, the neckline was plunging, stopping right below her breasts. The dress was only able to cover her nipples, showing the rest of her breasts off and leaving little to the imagination. Plus, that was Versace for ya, and to match it all, she wore those strappy ankle sandals with the iconic Versace Medusa icon as the ankle straps. She sprayed some of her favorite perfume on, made some final touches to her hair and left her apartment.  
One taxi ride later, Toni was in front of the new bar that was meant to be hip and trendy, according to the New York Times at least. She waved when she saw Pepper at the beginning of the long line in front of her. Pepper’s PR firm was hosting the new opening of Denial, which meant Toni and the rest of the gang got free invitations. 

“Oh my god! Is that the new Versace dress?”

“Yes! Do you like it? Is it too much?”

“Honey, on you, it’s never too much. You can go inside, Natasha and Rhodey already have a table with the rest of the gang.” Pepper quickly kissed Toni on the cheek before going back to the list of names on her clipboard. Toni just smiled and walked in, hearing one of her mom’s favorite songs blasting in the background; “Got to Be Real,” by Cheryl Lynn. Maria Stark always blasted songs from the 70s’ and 80s’ just to embarrass Toni when they drove to New York. She immediately saw Natasha, Clint, and the rest of her friends having drinks already and tried to make her way there. Toni couldn’t help but sway her hips a little to the song, making her way slowly to the table. 

“Hey guys! Long time no see!” All the present men sitting at the table looked at her, Sam rolled his eyes along with Rhodey while Clint just clapped at her. “You couldn’t just show them altogether.” 

“I thought you were gay, Clint. A little birdy told me you have a boyfriend.” Toni tapped her chin before sitting down next to Bucky and Steve. She inhaled the smell of alcohol and smoking happily before Nat pushed over a cosmopolitan towards her. Toni graciously took it and drank it happily, not noticing the look that Bucky was giving her. She didn’t want to accept it yet, so instead, Toni decided it was time to dance. She got up, and walked away and got on the dance floor, letting everything overtake her. The beat of the music and putting her hands in the air and just dancing. “Only Girl (In The World)” came on, and boy, Toni was really feeling it now. She mouthed out the lyrics, maybe screaming them too and swayed her hips to the side. 

There were points in time during the song that she felt hands on her hips, but Toni wasn’t paying attention that much. There were only lights flashing every second and at this point, Toni didn’t care, and she could’ve seen Bucky, maybe? She didn’t want to get her hopes up though. If it was a stranger, then it would’ve been ok, but if it was Bucky, she could die happy. Someone’s hands pushed her hips into theirs, grinding down on her slowly and god, did Toni think of things that weren’t entirely holy at that second. She turned around to meeting grey-blue eyes, a smirk on his face and a sheen of sweat shining on his face. 

Toni swallowed, before placing a hand in his hair and pulling him forward to kiss her. His mouth tasted of whiskey and a hint of olive, it made Toni go crazy. He teased her bottom lip, asking for access which she granted, their tongues fighting for dominance before she finally let him win. His hands slithered up to her waist, before one stayed at her waist and moved to cup her shoulder blade. Toni was secretly glad he didn’t try to pull on her hair at least, the hair was worth that much love that it didn’t deserve to be destroyed so easily. They made out until Toni had to open for air, looking up at Bucky, who’s eyes were almost blown, the color of blue almost a ring. They both panted heavily before Toni just pressed her forehead into his chest, very buff chest too. 

“I’m so sorry, I uh, usually don’t do this kind of thing unless it’s a date.” If Bucky could see in the dark, he would’ve seen the blush on her face but luck was on her side, _for now_. “Does this mean I can take you out on a first date then, dollface?”

“Yes.” 

**_______________**

Toni was working on her A.I project when she heard a knock from her door. Toni prayed that it wasn’t anyone important, she was only in Calvin Klein boy shorts and an old AC/DC t-shirt. Thank god she was at least wearing a bra. What Toni didn’t notice was she forgot her glasses were on or that her hair was piled high on top of her head at the moment with strands falling out. Or that a man she was secretly falling in love would be knocking at her door. When Toni opened the door, she was surprised to see Bucky standing, two cups of coffee and a small bag of pastries. 

“Hey! Mind if I come in? I was walking by your street and decided to get some food for ya. Rhodey texted me saying you haven’t slept in three days.” Bucky took in the woman’s appearance, noticing the heavy bags under her eyes and the strands of hair falling from her messy bun. Toni looked exhausted and yet, she looked like she had just woken up. 

“Aw, you shouldn’t have, I would’ve gotten out at some point. My dear honeybear worries too much.” She pecked him on the cheek before sashaying into her kitchen. Bucky watched her walking away, the muscles in her hips showing off perfectly as she walked away from him. He found it amazing that he managed to find a woman like her, smart, funny, very sarcastic sometimes, and known for overworking herself most of the time. They had been dating for over a month now and Bucky loved every second of it. Toni was open enough to tell him that she still had some boundaries put in place but he respected that, he, himself, had some boundaries of his own too. Over time Bucky knew that they would walk through it together but for now, they were still in the honeymoon phase. 

“Jesus, I didn’t even know it was three days. What day is it?” 

“Ok, baby, you need to seriously call me the next time this happens. I cannot believe you don’t even know what day it is.” He pouted as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, kissing her neck as Toni opened the bag and took out the pastries. Toni giggled as she put a croissant in her mouth and opened her coffee, almost moaning from smelling the coffee aroma had she not had the croissant in her mouth. “Well, what day is it?”

“Uh, Friday, love.” Bucky continued to pepper kisses on her, smiling as she giggled at the sweet touches he was giving her. Toni realized that this is what being a couple was like, all those months where she was alone and by herself, it made it feel all more domesticated. Honestly, Toni couldn’t remember either the last time someone brought her actual food. It usually ended up being Pepper or Rhodey if she didn’t show up after seventy-two hours. No one was really there for her when she was working so the fact that Bucky actually showed up with food and told her to tell him when this happened again, Toni loved that. Yes, she loved every second of it. 

Before Toni knew it, she was being placed on her kitchen counter, the man she was starting to fall for more slotting himself in between her legs and smiling. “To be honest, you're the first person to really see me in my glasses.” Bucky laughed at that, booping her on the nose before kissing her again. “I think you look cute, doll.”

“Thank you---” She broke off with a yawn, which was adorable to Bucky, reminded him of a cat. 

“Let’s get you to bed, darlin’. Natasha emailed me that you have a promo party to go to tonight, so let’s take a nap.”

“But I can’t! I have to finish my project! Please Bucky!”

“Doll, I’m gonna stop ya right there, if you say five minutes, we both know it’s gonna be more than five minutes.” Toni huffed at him, pouting entirely and giving him puppy dog eyes. Bucky only rolled his eyes before deciding to just pick her up. Tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, he took Toni to her bedroom, appreciating the nice view of Manhattan from her room. He tossed her onto the bed and took off her glasses, putting them on the nightstand and pulled the pins out of her messy bun. Toni groaned lightly as the pressure on her head lightened, making it feel more relaxed. 

He pushed her onto her side, spooning her and nuzzling into her neck. Bucky could feel Toni relaxing slowly, all the tension in her shoulders But before anyone could really relax, he quickly took his shoes off and took his t-shirt off, leaving him just in his jeans. Bucky watched with amusement as Toni unclipped her bra and tossed it aside, getting under the covers and laying her head back on the pillows. He saddled up beside her, pulling her by the waist towards him and nuzzling into her neck. He could get used to this. 

Six hours later, an alarm brought Toni out of her sleep, shivering slightly when there was no warmth behind her. She stretched, bones popping back into place as she sat up, looking over at her alarm clock. It was about mid afternoon now, and there was a note on her nightstand.

> Hey babydoll, I got some food for ya, it’s on the kitchen counter. Also, sorry I can’t be there when you wake up. XOXO, Bucky Bear.

This, this is what Toni lived for sometimes and that motto of hers could be stored for later on. But Toni noticed something, Bucky didn’t say _love?_ Ok, shoot her for thinking that stood out but seriously, why was it bothering her? It has only been a month, a goddamn month! She needed to remind herself that it was too soon to say those words, or was it? Ugh, it’s too early for this! She decided that the only person that would listen to her was Pepper. So that’s how Toni ended up doing her makeup while calling Pepper and putting her on speaker.

“Hey Toni! Please tell me you have at least gotten a minimum of six hours of sleep?” Toni rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at Pep. “Yes, Bucky forced me into bed finally. And no, it was not like that at all!”

“Uh huh, so why are you calling then?”

“I don’t know Pep,” Toni looked at herself in the mirror, the base of her makeup only on, making her look like a ghost, “Bucky left a note when I was asleep and I don’t know. Something about the way he signed it is bothering me.”

“Well, what did he sign off as? A bad word or something?” 

“He said xoxo, and I just--maybe I wanted it to say love?”

“Toni, listen, it’s only been a month.”

“I know, I know, but is it too much to ask? Am I thinking it too soon?” Toni sighed, blowing the leftover excess of the powder from her eyeshadow. There was a pause on the other line, and Toni was just thinking that maybe it was too soon. Was she rushing?

“Toni, I can hear your thoughts from over here, stop worrying. Look, when you are both ready to say it, you will say it. Now, are you getting ready for that party I reminded Bucky to tell you?”

“Yes, mom, I didn’t forget. I’m getting ready as we speak.” 

“Great, and maybe wear that new D & G dress, it is a promo party--”

“Yes, yes, I know. Gotta go, see ya there!” Toni blew out a breath before finally looking at the dress Pepper had sent over. It was a beautiful black floral print with pink roses while the sleeves had big bows on each side, not puffy, thank you very much. Toni had a thing for hating bows since Maria always forced her to wear big puffy dressed with big puffy bows. The first time Toni ever bought a dress with bows, she made sure that they didn’t stand out or were puffy or too big in any way. She wore the dress with the new black leather sandals with the D & G logo heels, fixing the whole outfit with some nice Tiffany diamond earrings from her mother. 

The walk to the party was a long walk, but it gave Toni some time to think, was it too much to say _I love you_ , already? She knew it was only a month but oh, god, what was she thinking? Maybe, she would just need to think more about it before she was blurting the words out to Bucky and having him run for the hills. Toni didn’t even realize she was there until the flashing cameras got into her face, the paparazzi shouting questions and demands at her as she walked through the crowds. Toni ignored it all, the screaming and the shouting zeroing out as she walked in. She saw her group of friends standing with drinks, chatting away, Pepper chatting with an interviewer. 

Toni felt dazed, or maybe dizzy, woah… was the room spinning? _No, wait, slow down, Toni, walk, walk, walk_. She was so focused on walking that she didn’t even realize she walked straight into the table, jolting from her daze and blinking again. She didn’t realize that all of them were looking concerned while Toni forgot why she was here. 

“Hi?” Pepper walked over immediately, putting a hand on Toni’s forehead and checking her face over. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Toni cocked her head to the side, looking at them with concern this time. She jumped when there was a hand circling her waist and a kiss on her cheek. “You seemed lost in thought there, хорошенькая девочка.” Natasha pecked her on the cheek before handing her a dirty martini which Toni gratefully took. She was in love so much that she forgot how to walk and Toni didn’t know what to do there. Bucky pecked her on the cheek before continuing to talk to Steve and Natasha, and it left Toni even more dazed. The song “I Only Have Eyes for You” came on, which fit Toni’s daze perfectly, and it almost made her want to lay down and take a cat nap. 

_“My love must be a kind of blind love, I can’t see anyone but you.”_ Decided at the moment, to just listen to the song, not caring if anyone was watching her. This whole love thing was crazy, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. So what did Toni do? What she did best, which was ignore it and have a drink while dancing to the oldies. That’s what Maria always taught her to do in situations like this if she wasn’t around for Toni. Toni imagined herself alone, listening to the song and swaying her hips lazily while drinking her martini. For the rest of the night, she was ok, tried to stop figuring it all out because she knew Pepper was right, they would say it. 

**_______________**

It isn’t until five months later that one of them says it. What’s even funnier is that they weren’t at some promo party, Steve’s gallery, or at dinner. It happened when Bucky came over with takeout and his computer for editing photos while Toni was almost done with her A.I project. They weren’t dressed up either, Bucky just wearing black ripped jeans and a black t-shirt while Toni wore a stolen pair of his boxers and a borrowed (stolen) t-shirt from Bucky and looking over her schematics. They were both working when Bucky finally got up and said those magical words to Toni while she was biting her pen. 

It started out pretty smoothly too and Toni had to give him credit for saying it without needing an occasion or a reason. At the time, Toni was looking over schematics and Bucky decided to massage her very tense shoulders and pamper her with kisses which made Toni giggle and try to shoo him away. That was the moment he said it, most girls probably might’ve thought it wasn’t perfect but to Toni, it was the most perfect moment for her. She had been racking her brain for months on end about how to say I love you to him. Thinking of different places, different times, should she say it in the morning, over lunch, dinner? But she silently thankful that Bucky said it first but she wondered, did he think of the same things? Was he too, thinking of how to say those words to her too? Was he planning a big, fancy dinner for her or a nice lunch near Central park? 

It happened when he was just kissing her neck and she was giggling, and then he said it, just like that. “I love you,” finishing it off with a direct kiss on the lips. Since Toni never had the best moments, she was so shocked that she almost dropped her cup of water. When she meant dropped, she really meant losing the cup and Bucky somehow was able to catch it. 

“I-I love you too?” 

“Is it a question or a statement, love?”

“No, a statement, sorry. Didn’t mean for it to sound like a question.” She smiled up at him, looking into those beautiful grey-blue eyes of his. After that, it was smooth sailing, or so Toni thought. She didn’t ever think that their jobs would suddenly demand more and more attention from them and that made Toni sad. So here she was, looking at the beautiful night sky above Manhattan while hearing screaming and moaning from next door. Toni really didn’t need to hear those noises especially if the person she wanted here wasn’t here. So the only thing she could do was: try on everything in her closet. While Bucky was on a trip on another continent, Toni decided to take a vow of celibacy or that’s how Natasha phrased it. Of course, she disagreed with that, she was in a relationship and honestly, did Natasha or Clint expect her to go out and get a prostitute or something to fill the empty void Bucky left behind? No.

So she went into her closet and brought out all the clothes that Toni thought she could try on. Toni decided if she didn’t have her man around to be there, well there was always music. Which is why she blasted music through her speakers, blasting “Walk This Way.” She ended up trying on a sleeveless Versace dress with the zip in the front and singing along to the song.

She strutted around the closet before dancing into her hallway, a smile on her face as the song was blasting. Toni couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun by herself, and it showed how much she relied on Bucky to have fun these days. She tried on a black and blue tie dye Dior skirt, matching it with a Dior shirt that said “We should All be Feminists,” which is the only reason at the time of why Toni bought the shirt. Throwing them on the cushion, she went searching for more outfits through her closet, finding a beautiful black long sleeve turtleneck sweater and matched it with a Versace black miniskirt with little gold buttons. She did a little spin in the floor length mirror and smiled to herself, Toni had been smiling so much, it was starting to hurt a little. 

After trying on those outfits, Toni decided to try on the new La Perla lingerie she had just gotten, which consisted of high waisted lace briefs and a black lace garter belt. The fabric had felt so soft that she didn’t care how much it cost, the softness of the fabric was worth it. She put it on, the lace making her skin have goosebumps of how soft and stitched it was. She wore a black lace bra as well and decided to put on black suede platform sandals from Givenchy, and damn, Toni did look good. It was not often that she could appreciate the many pieces she bought since most of them were bought on impulse. Toni could hear that song come on again, “I Only Have Eyes for You,” by The Flamingos, and made Toni’s heart flutter. That song played the moment she realized she loved Bucky, which was at that promo party many moons ago. She twirled around the closet, out into the hallway, not noticing her door unlocking or the person stepping inside. Toni moved her hips to the slow rhythm, smiling while spinning around, the view of the many buildings of Manhattan behind, the lights in the distance highlighting every curve of her body. Her hair moved around with her, since it was now at the length of her lower back. 

When Bucky was walking out of the elevator, he could hear music being played from Toni’s apartment along with some very obnoxious moaning and screaming coming from next door. He had just gotten back from another trip to Japan and was finally glad he’d get some free time before another project started up soon. So color him surprised when he unlocked the door and saw Toni dancing around the apartment in black lingerie, garter belt and all, heels included, and just having a wonderful time. He didn’t recognize the song immediately but it was an oldie, an oldie but a goodie. 

Quietly, he walked towards her, immediately sneaking up behind her. The minute he touched her, Toni screamed so loud while jumping almost a foot in the air, covering her mouth quickly. Bucky tried biting back a laugh but laughed when Toni glared at him. “Don’t do that! Jesus! What if you were a robber or something?” 

“A robber would probably do the same thing I just did.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t do it at all.” Bucky laughed while Toni put her hands on her hips and straight up glared at him. He wiped it away though when he kissed her, hands circling her waist before lifting her up into the air. Toni got the idea and wrapped her legs around his hips, kissing him right back as he led them to her bedroom. He tossed her onto the bed and stood there, admiring all the beauty she held, the dark curls and her beautiful olive skin, her dark brown whiskey eyes. He noticed she wasn’t wearing any makeup which made her even more beautiful, and Bucky wanted to appreciate every part of her body. 

Toni watched as Bucky looked at her with lust in his eyes before he continued to kiss and lick everywhere there was skin. She was happy that he was finally home and that she wouldn’t have to wait any longer to be with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, Toni is meant to be Carrie or Samatha, Natasha is Charlotte, Clint is Stanford, and yeah basically they enjoy life and have fun. 
> 
> Links for the outfits themselves:
> 
> https://www.versace.com/us/en-us/women/clothing/dresses/graphic-neckline-mini-dress-a1008/A86558-A213159_A1008.html?cgid=120100#start=1
> 
> https://www.givenchy.com/us/en-US/wrap-culottes-with-metallic-fastener-/BW50LA11UD-250.html?cgid=SKIRTS_W#start=1&sz=12
> 
> https://www.dior.com/en_us/products/couture-041B19A3890_X9608-shirt-with-button-collar-navy-blue-tie-and-dior-cotton
> 
> https://www.givenchy.com/us/en-US/platform-sandals-in-satin/BE304AE07L-001.html?cgid=SANDALS_PUMPS_W#start=1
> 
> https://www.dior.com/en_us/products/couture-041B18A8892_X9608-short-sleeved-top-blue-and-black-tie-and-dior-tulle
> 
> https://us.laperla.com/dark-grey-lace-underwired-bralette/
> 
> https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/manolo-blahnik-hangisila-105-embellished-lace-pumps/product/0452489414845?R=5057658026611&P_name=Manolo+Blahnik&Ntt=manolo+blahnik&N=0
> 
> https://www.givenchy.com/us/en-US/gv3-square-sunglasses-in-acetate/BR002WR01N-001.html?cgid=EYEWEAR_W#start=1
> 
> https://us.dolcegabbana.com/en/women/shoes/sandals-and-wedges/nappa-leather-sandals-with-baroque-dandg-heel-black-CR0739AV96780999.html
> 
> https://us.dolcegabbana.com/en/women/shoes/dg-logo/nappa-leather-booties-with-baroque-dandg-heel-black-CT0635AV96780999.html?cgid=women-shoes-logo#page=1&start=11
> 
> https://us.dolcegabbana.com/en/collection/sandals-in-stretch-tulle-and-grosgrain-black-CR1049AX8808B956.html
> 
> https://us.dolcegabbana.com/en/women/shoes/rainbow-lace-collection/pump-in-taormina-lace-with-crystals-blue-CD0101AL19880650.html?cgid=women-shoes-rainbow-lace#page=1&start=22
> 
> http://us.christianlouboutin.com/us_en/shop/women/louise-x-2.html
> 
> https://www.versace.com/us/en-us/women/shoes/sandals/signature-ankle-strap-sandals-d41o/DSR027P-DVTBK_D41O.html?cgid=131400#start=1
> 
> https://us.dolcegabbana.com/en/women/clothing/dresses/short-sleeveless-poplin-tropical-rose-print-dress-floral-print-F6A6PTHS5FZHN96C.html?cgid=women-apparel-dresses#page=5&start=102
> 
> https://www.versace.com/us/en-us/women/clothing/dresses/zip-accent-neoprene-sleeveless-dress-a1008/A87311-A234369_A1008.html?cgid=120100#start=1
> 
> https://www.dior.com/en_us/products/couture-021J21A8680_X5886-midi-skirt-black-and-blue-tie-and-dior-tulle
> 
> https://www.dior.com/en_us/products/couture-843T03TA428_X0200-we-should-all-be-feminists-t-shirt-white-linen-and-cotton-jersey
> 
> https://www.versace.com/us/en-us/women/clothing/skirts/medusa-button-envers-satin-mini-skirt-a1008/A87520-A212457_A1008.html?cgid=120600#start=1
> 
> https://us.laperla.com/high-waisted-briefs-in-black-tulle-and-leavers-lace/
> 
> https://us.laperla.com/suspender-belt-in-black-tulle-and-leavers-lace/
> 
> https://www.givenchy.com/us/en-US/double-g-buckle-pumps-in-satin/BE401SE0TL-001.html?cgid=SANDALS_PUMPS_W#start=1


End file.
